I remember my first PWA meeting in the fall of 2002. I had been in Milan for almost 2 years and had suddenly realized that I didn’t like my life very much. I felt isolated and lonely. My job put me in contact with people outside of Milan, so my Italian colleague was my only source of companionship. The problem was that he had his own full life, so outside of office hours I was much pretty much at loose ends. I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort to construct a social life and, if that failed, I would start planning my move back to the states. PWA was the only group that I had heard of for English-speaking individuals; although I had heard of the association, I had never been. So of course I had fairly low expectations: PWA would instantly catapult me into a rich and rewarding social circle that would completely and immediately change my life.
When I arrived at the aperitivo preceding the speaker meeting, I found it difficult to “insert” myself into the group. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and wasn’t interested in allowing a “new” person into the various conversations around the room. I wandered around, spoke briefly to other “new” people, and then headed to the meeting room for the presentation.
The president opened the meeting by welcoming us and going through a list of announcements. Wow, I thought to myself, I could never speak in front of a group of 50 people! How does she get the courage?
I returned home that evening quite disappointed, but vowed to go back - it was my only hope! The next event I attended was a networking dinner. When I walked in the door, I told the women at the desk that I was a new member. Oh, was the response, you need to meet Nancy! The ever-exuberant Nancy Fina was at that time the PWA Member Liaison. I was delivered to her and she immediately introduced me into a group conversation – exactly what I was looking for! One of those members was Muriel Montefusco, who today remains one of my best friends.
So what exactly is my success story? Four and a half years ago, I joined PWA virtually friendless in Milan and now have an extensive circle of friends and contacts. I could never replicate the community I’ve discovered here in Milan back in the U.S: internationally-minded individuals from diverse industry sectors with the common objective of growing our network. I found 3 jobs through PWA (I still have them all today), met wonderful people that have shared their successes and skills with me, shared my successes and skills with others, and can now truly say that PWA changed my life. My “low” expectations were more than fulfilled: not immediately, but in fact in a short period of time!
The other part of my success story? You can’t get the microphone away from me now in front of ANY group. I’ve discovered it’s not so hard when you know that the people in the audience were once in your shoes, that some of them already like you, and that there’s a strong chance that many more will soon.